Gerbera plant named ‘Flostone’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Gerbera  plant named ‘Flostone’, characterized by its compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; freely flowering habit; semi-double type inflorescences with ray florets that are yellow and yellow orange in color; and upright, strong and relatively short scapes.

Botanical designation: Gerbera jamesonii.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Flostone’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant, botanically known as Gerbera jamesonii and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Flostone’.

The new Gerbera plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact container Gerbera cultivars with numerous inflorescences, good garden performance and attractive ray and disc floret coloration.

The new Gerbera plant originated from a cross-pollination in March, 2003 in De Kwakel, The Netherlands of Gerbera jamesonii ‘Fabio’, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with Gerbera jamesonii ‘Emil’, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Gerbera was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands during the spring of 2004.

Asexual reproduction of the new Gerbera plant by tissue culture in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands since the summer of 2004 has shown that the unique features of this new Gerbera plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Gerbera have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Flostone’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Flostone’ as anew and distinct cultivar of Gerbera:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit.     -   2. Freely flowering habit.     -   3. Semi-double type inflorescences with ray florets that are         yellow and yellow orange in color.     -   4. Upright, strong and relatively short scapes.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the female parent, ‘Fabio’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more compact than plants of         ‘Fabio’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have shorter scapes than plants of         ‘Fabio’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera have semi-double type         inflorescences whereas plants of ‘Fabio’ have single type         inflorescences.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the male parent, ‘Emil’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more compact than plants of         ‘Emil’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have shorter scapes than plants of         ‘Emil’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera have semi-double type         inflorescences whereas plants of ‘Emil’ have single type         inflorescences.     -   4. Ray florets of plants of the new Gerbera are yellow and         yellow orange in color whereas ray florets of plants of ‘Emil’         are orange in color.

Plants of the new Gerbera can be compared to plants of the Gerbera jamesonii ‘Everlast Carmine’, not patented. Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of ‘Everlast Carmine’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more uniform in growth habit         than plants of ‘Everlast Carmine’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have larger inflorescences than         plants of ‘Everlast Carmine’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera have semi-double type         inflorescences whereas plants of ‘Everlast Carmine’ have single         type inflorescences.     -   4. Ray florets of plants of the new Gerbera are yellow and         yellow orange in color whereas ray florets of plants of         ‘Everlast Carmine’ are dark red in color.     -   5. Plants of the new Gerbera have thicker scapes than plants of         ‘Everlast Carmine’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Gerbera plant. This photograph shows the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Gerbera plant. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Flostone’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in a glass-covered greenhouse during the winter in De Kwakel, The Netherlands and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial container Gerbera production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 19° C. to 26° C. and night temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 18° C. Rooted young tissue-cultured plants were planted in 19-cm containers and had been growing for six months when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fifth Edition, 2007, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Gerbera jamesonii ‘Flostone’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Gerbera jamesonii ‘Fabio’, not             patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Gerbera jamesonii ‘Emil’, not             patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About 2.5 weeks at temperatures of             20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About five to six             weeks at temperatures of 20° C. to 26° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Moderate branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous semi-double type Gerbera; compact,             upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; arching leaves             arranged in basal rosettes; dense and bushy habit;             moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 63.5 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 68 cm. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 36.5 cm.         -   Width.—About 16.5 cm.         -   Shape.—Runcinate; lanceolate to narrowly elliptic in             outline.         -   Apex.—Obtuse to abruptly acute.         -   Base.—Acuminate.         -   Margin.—Pinnately lobed with coarse and irregular sinuses,             lobes divergent; undulate.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Sparsely pubescent.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Moderately pubescent; woolly.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 141A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 139A. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N139A; venation,             close to 144B to 144C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface:             Close to 139A; venation, close to 144B.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 13.4 cm. Diameter: About 5.5 mm.             Texture, upper surface: Sparsely pubescent. Texture, lower             surface: Moderately pubescent. Color, upper and lower             surfaces: Close to 144A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Semi-double type inflorescence form with             narrowly elliptic-shaped ray florets; solitary             inflorescences borne on upright, strong and relatively short             scapes above the foliar plane; ray and disc florets arranged             acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about four months             after planting and flower from early spring to the end of             the summer in outdoor gardens in The Netherlands. Plants             flower year-round under greenhouse conditions.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last about two weeks             on the plant; inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about eight open and developing inflorescences per plant at             one time.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 1.5 cm. Diameter: About             3.5 cm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 144B.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 11.1 cm. Depth (height):             About 3.2 cm. Diameter of disc: About 4.1 cm. Receptacle             height: About 8 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 9 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to NN155C.         -   Ray florets.—Orientation: Initially upright, then about 70°             from vertical. Outer whorls of ray florets: Length: About             4.8 cm. Width: About 1.1 cm. Inner whorls of ray florets:             Length: About 2.8 cm. Width: About 3 mm. Shape: Narrowly             elliptic. Apex: Obtuse. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous;             longitudinally ridged. Number of outer whorls of ray florets             per inflorescence: About 110 arranged in about four whorls.             Color: When opening, upper surface, outer whorls of ray             florets: Close to 12A. When opening, upper surface, inner             whorl of ray florets: Close to 23A. When opening, lower             surface, outer and inner whorls of ray florets: Close to             11A. Fully opened, upper surface, outer whorls of ray             florets: Close to 12A. Fully opened, upper surface, inner             whorl of ray florets: Paler than 12A. Fully opened, lower             surface, outer and inner whorls of ray florets: Close to             11A.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Shape: Tubular, fused. Apex: Acute. Base: Fused. Margin:             Entire. Length: About 1.5 cm. Width: About 4.5 mm Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of disc             florets per inflorescence: About 500. Color, immature and             mature: Apex: Close to 30A. Mid-section and base: Close to             13A.         -   Pappus.—Quantity per floret: About 50. Length: About 8 mm.             Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Soft. Color: Between N77A             and 187A.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About             120 in about four whorls. Length: About 1.4 cm. Width: About             3 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture,             lower surface: Densely tomentose. Color, upper surface:             Close to 143A; apices, close to 144A. Color, lower surface:             Close to 137B; apices, close to 143B.         -   Scapes.—Length: About 49 cm. Diameter: About 8 mm. Angle:             Erect. Strength: Strong. Texture: Densely tomentose. Color:             Close to 144B; towards the apex, close to 137B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium (present on disc florets             only): Quantity per floret: Two. Filament length: About             6 mm. Filament color: Close to NN155C. Anther shape:             Lanceolate. Anther length: About 4 mm. Anther color: Close             to 12B. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: Close to 12A.             Gynoecium (present on ray and disc florets): Quantity per             floret: One. Pistil length: About 1.1 cm. Stigma shape:             Rounded; curved. Stigma color: Close to 155D. Style length:             About 1 cm. Style color: Close to NN155C. Ovary color: Close             to 145D.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Gerberas has not been observed on plants of the new Gerbera grown     under commercial conditions. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Gerbera have been observed     to tolerate temperatures from about 1° C. to about 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct Gerbera plant named ‘Flostone’ as illustrated and described. 